How to Wear Colour: When You're Plus Size

This is the fifth post in my How to Wear Colour series. Previous posts in this series include: Introduction, Where to Start, How to Build Up Your Colour Confidence, and Which Colours? which can all be read via the links.

Today's post is all about:

But...

Society would lead you to believe that plus size people should avoid wearing colour at any cost. 

For decades, society has circulated and spoon-fed style advice to the plus size, whether their opinions have been wanted or not. Don't wear stripes. Don't wear white. Don't wear prints. And don't, for the love of God, wear colour. You'll only make yourself look larger. Wear black. Black is your friend. Black will make you look slimmer... Wear that shapeless black top. It'll hide your lumps and bumps. Now you won't draw attention to yourself... perfect...

Sound familiar? My guess is most of us have been met with comments like those from society at some stage in our lives, whether it be from fashion magazines, family members, friends, peers, or complete strangers. I know I have.

However, we don't have to listen to a word that those narrow minded individuals say... in fact, I'd suggest ignoring such remarks all together. Rules were made for breaking! Break them all!

You can wear colour if you're plus size. You can wear colour what ever your size, shape, or weight might be, and look amazing. Colour will not make you look larger, and black will not make you look slimmer. Your size doesn't miraculously change like a mood ring when you wear certain colours. If you look fat in something, that's because you're fat, and not because you're wearing colour...  and that's perfectly okay!

You should never feel like you have to blend in to the background or hide your figure because of your size. If you dream of wearing colourful clothes, do it! Plus size people rock colour just as well as slimmer individuals do. It's all about confidence and finding the right pieces for you.

Why not start by focusing on a part of your body that you love?  If you love your legs, why not try a great pair of coloured jeans or a cute skirt? If your tiny little waist is your favourite asset, a fitted dress or waist belt will show it off perfectly. By wearing colour on your favourite body parts, you'll feel more comfortable, and the colour will draw the eye away from any areas you don't like and to the bits that you do!

I also recommend trying colourful prints. I don't know who first decided plus size people shouldn't wear prints, but they were incredibly wrong. Prints and patterns look fantastic on larger figures. You only have to see Rachel and Nita's outfit posts to see that. It's said larger prints are better for bigger bodies, but I think ditsy prints look amazing, too. Don't rule prints out. Try them, experiment with them. They're such a fun way to wear colour, and can look stylish, flattering, and quirky, too.

And if you just don't feel comfortable wearing colourful clothes or struggle finding colourful garments in your size, have fun with colourful accessories. There's so many different accessories to choose from; bags, shoes, jewellery, belts, hats, hair accessories... That gives you a lot of choice and a lot of outfit possibilities. They don't have to break the bank, and can easily be removed if your confidence falters... but more on Accessorising next week.

If you don't know where to find fashionable, colourful plus size clothes, I'd recommend checking out the following brands: ASOS Curve, AX Paris Curve, Domino Dollhouse, Dorothy Perkins, Eshakti, Evans,  Forever 21, H&M, George at Asda, Matalan, Lovedrobe, M&Co, Modcloth, New Look Inspire, Next, Primark, Sienna Couture, Simply Be, Tesco, Torrid, Very, These are just some of the brands which cater to plus sizes of various degrees. Some only go up to a UK 20, where as others may go up to a size 32 or beyond.. I'll do a full post in greater depth about plus size brands at a later date.

I'd also recommend checking out my blog roll for blogs by wonderful plus size bloggers who wear colour so well. There are far too many stylish ladies to list, as so many of them inspire me with their fabulous colourful style. 

So my advice is, wear colour no matter your size or shape, and wear it proudly! Experiment with every colour to learn which ones work for you, and don't ever deny yourself the right to wear certain colours and garments because of your size. 

My How to Wear Colour posts will be aimed at everybody, so for further ideas and tips, keep reading this series!